Patricia Urquiola & Kvadrat Sport is first recycled upholstery textile

Patricia Urquiola and Kvadrat have teamed up to launch the world’s first upholstery textile made entirely of recycled materials. 

Working with ocean-bound plastic waste, the Milanese designer and Danish textile authority have created Sport, in partnership with #tide, a Swiss company specialising in developing materials from ocean-bound plastic waste. The textile is made of post-consumer plastic collected within 10km from the coastline of Thailand, as part of #tide’s commitment to prevent the materials from reaching the oceans. 

Sport by Patricia Urquiola for Kvadrat

‘[With Kvadrat], we share the same philosophy that the highest standards in design and materials can be combined with important sustainable and ethical actions,’ says #tide co-founder Marc Krebs. ‘[We both] want to create a much-needed social and environmental impact that protects the oceans and supports coastal and island communities in their fight against plastic pollution out of 100 per cent ocean-bound plastic waste.’

As the name suggests, the collection is inspired by sportswear and nods to a high-tech aesthetic, with subtle tactile patterns enriching the surface and a colour palette defined by vibrant shades of purple, green and blue as well as a series of neutrals that range from greys to taupe. Each textile is defined by a two-tone contrasting composition, enhancing the design’s three dimensional effect. ‘The colours for Sport are divided into “salt and pepper” monochrome nuances, which illuminate the textile’s high-tech graphic character, and solid shades which fade its texture away,’ explains Urquiola.

With Sport, Kvadrat and Urquiola affirm their commitment to innovation in design, as they constantly push the boundaries of domestic design to set the tone for future living.